WEDDING DRESS MESS
An Orléans dry cleaner faces a steep tab over a lost gown
It has been almost a year since Terri-Lyn Campbell’s wedding gown was lost by an Orléans dry cleaner in very unusual circumstances. Attempts to be compensated have so far been ignored — even now with a small claims court judgment in Campbell’s favour.
Terri-Lyn and Greg Campbell were married on Oct. 6, 2012. The following November, Terri-Lyn took the gown and two other dresses used by her wedding party to Hills Cleaners on Forest Valley Road in Orléans. The dry cleaner left a voicemail message at their home shortly after Christmas, asking them to call. Assuming the garments were ready to be picked up, Greg Campbell went to the depot, only to discover that the wedding gown was not with the rest of the order.
So where was his wife’s wedding dress?
Parwin Payman, a seamstress who rents space in the outlet and took the drycleaning order when Terri-Lyn brought the three dresses in for cleaning, was probably more than a little embarrassed with her revelation. Campbell says Payman told him the gown had been stolen. It was apparently taken from the back seat of Payman’s car while it was parked outside her home.
Campbell says he was startled by what he was told. “Why was it in your vehicle?” Campbell asked. “We brought it to be dry-cleaned.”
He says Payman was evasive and never gave him an explanation for why the dress was in her car. Campbell recalls Payman telling him the dress wasn’t worth much in the first place.
She waived the dry-cleaning charges for the two other dresses, which came to about $100.
When Payman was told that wasn’t even close to compensate them for the lost gown, she offered another $200.
Campbell called his wife. She told her husband that she had paid about $1,200 for the gown at a bridal shop in Little Italy. The dress had been discounted from its original price of $3,900. Campbell says he told Payman that they would be satisfied if they received $1,200. No way, said Payman. The dress wasn’t worth anywhere near that. Campbell saw there wasn’t any point dealing with the woman. So he left the shop, planning to take his demand for compensation to Ratis Sen, owner of Hills Cleaners.
SEAMSTRESS GIVES HER SIDE OF STORY
Contacted by The Public Citizen this week, Payman was hardly contrite. In fact, she said, the Campbells were demanding way, way more than the dress was worth, and were obviously trying to take advantage of Sen, who they must think has lots of money.
“It was a very old, old dress,” she said, adding that it had the appearance of being something that was made in the 1970s or ’80s. Payman says you could pick up such a dress for $50 at a Salvation Army Thrift Store. It was also discoloured and stained, Payman claimed. “It was in very bad condition.”
But why had she taken it home? Payman says Terri-Lyn wanted alterations done to the gown’s top before it was cleaned. Payman says she pricked her finger with a needle as she was doing the alterations not long before the shop was to close that day for Christmas. Payman says she didn’t want to chance getting any blood on the gown, so decided to take it home to finish the alterations there.
She had placed the gown in a bag and left it in her car when she got home that night. Perhaps the thief who broke into her car, says Payman, thought he was making off with somebody’s Christmas gift.
Terri-Lyn, who gave birth to a baby boy five weeks ago, couldn’t believe what Payman told me about the condition of the dress or that she had asked for a repair. “I don’t understand how she can say there was something that needed to be fixed at the top because I had already worn it for my wedding, and, at the bridal store, had (alterations done) properly. So there was nothing that needed to be fixed.”
DRY CLEANER SAYS DON’T BLAME HIM
Campbell says he met with Sen because he felt the owner of Hills Cleaners was ultimately responsible for the loss. Payman, he says, was acting as his agent when she accepted the gown for cleaning.
Sen seemed concerned, says Campbell, and explained why he thought Payman may have taken the dress home. Campbell says Sen told him he could not find any drycleaning order for the gown. Campbell left with the matter still unresolved.
When Campbell contacted the businessman again, he says, Sen asked that he stop harassing him as the issue had nothing to do with Hills Cleaners. He told Campbell that he had to deal with Payman as she had handled the gown.
Sen did not return any calls from The Public Citizen. But someone in his office told me what Sen told Campbell: Contact Payman. Sen did not lose the dress and Payman was not an employee. She just rented space from him.
SMALL CLAIMS COURT AGREES WITH COUPLE
The couple took Sen to small claims court last July, but Sen did not appear at the hearing. That was a bad move by Sen, as he basically waived his chance to defend himself. He lost the case and was ordered to pay the Campbells a total of $4,407 for the dress, which represented the retail price and included pre- and post-judgment interest. Campbell says they decided to claim the retail price rather than the sale price for all the trouble they were put through. Sen also owes the couple $250 for court costs.
But, so far, Sen has not given them a penny. Campbell says Sen ignored a Sept. 9 letter asking him to make arrangements for payment. The couple is now taking steps to have the small-claims court order enforced.
Payman says she has an offer if the couple agrees to get off Sen’s back for the court award. She says she will borrow $1,200 — what the couple originally wanted for the dress — and give it to them.
Campbell says he is not interested, as attempts to resolve the issue with Payman and then Sen got them nowhere.
“When that failed, then we followed the appropriate path to try to get a resolution. I don’t know why we would take a step back now. ... We have a court order.”
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